faith, trust and pixie dust
by a cold day in december
Summary: Austin and Ally go to his family's Christmas gathering in rather cute, matching costumes. Austin really is the boy who would never grow up, and Ally is his Wendy lady. / One shot. AUSLLY: HAPPY HOLIDAYS! For Maae. Complete.


**Disclaimer**: There's so many references here, but I assure you, I own nothing.

**A/N: **Writing this made me really, really content for reasons I cannot explain.

**Dedication: **For **Maae**, (_can't tell fate_) because I know you love Peter Pan, and you're always wonderful to me, so.

* * *

**faith, trust and pixie dust**

* * *

:::

"Hey Ally." Austin said. He had a cutesy tone to his voice and Ally immediately narrowed her eyes in suspicion. Austin was never as innocent as he seemed.

"Hello." She said warily, swinging her legs back and forth as she sat on the counter at Sonic Boom. He stared at her unblinkingly before she spoke again. "So, what kind of favour is it this time?" Ally asked, twisting a bit of tinsel —which adorned the counter— between her fingers.

He chuckled guiltily. "How did you know?"

"Austin." She said looking at him with a perfectly arched eyebrow. "You're talking to the person who's been hanging out with you for two years now. I can read you like a book."

He hops up onto the counter beside her.

"Well, the thing is, it's Christmas..." Austin trailed off.

"Yeah, and...?" Ally prompted.

"Every Christmas, my parents have this tradition," Austin lets out a long breath, "Where they invite the whole family over to my house for Christmas, you know, since my house is kind of huge." Ally nodded.

"And they want me to bring you this year..." Austin trailed off for the second time, trying to gauge Ally's reaction.

"They want _me_ to go?" Ally said surprised.

"Well, yeah." Austin said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I mean, you're my song writer, my best friend, and I talk about you a lot, according to my mom." He tried to hide his blush by looking away. "So they want you to come, and y'know, meet my family."

Ally sat with her mouth a little bit open and Austin winced.

"I just thought, since you know, your mom's in Africa," Austin tugged at his hair self consciously, "Plus you said your dad might have to go out of town, and who better to spend Christmas with than me?" He smiled softly and she continued to stare.

"I mean," Austin said awkwardly, "It's okay if you don't want to, I just—"

"No, no!" Ally said, coming out of her daze. "I mean that would be lovely, Austin, thank you—"

"So you'll go?" He said excitedly. "Oh my gosh, thank you so much Ally!" Austin positively glowed, even without the help of the surrounding Christmas lights. "This is going to be the best Christmas ever!"

Ally watched Austin run out of the store in delight and didn't bother to hide her surprised blush.

* * *

"It's two in the morning, what do you _want_?"

Ally awoke to the sound of her phone ringing loudly. It was two days before Christmas and she just wanted to sleep because everything had been so busy. She'd had to wrap presents, run the store, make sure her dad got to the airport safely; she was _tired._

Consequently, she doesn't really care how annoyed she sounds.

"I forgot something, when I told you about the party." Austin says timidly from the other end of the phone.

Ally can imagine him lying in bed, right now. It's an attractive thought, after that one time he told her he sleeps without his shirt on.

It was during Truth or Dare, don't judge.

She stops thinking about his body and tries to reply to his last sentence.

"And what, pray tell, did you forget?"

She pulls the duvet tighter around her pyjama clad body and sighs into the phone subconsciously.

"I, um," Austin falters. "It's a fancy dress kind of party."

Ally is more okay with that statement than she was expecting to be. "Is that it?"

"No," Austin says, and tries not to sound too relieved. "Well, yes, but I wanted to tell you what we're going as."

"_We're_ going as?" Ally says rather loudly. She looks panicked that she may wake someone up for a moment before remembering she was the only one in the house. "This better not another Swamp Bride kind of thing, otherwise I'm out."

Austin laughs. "No, it's better." She can hear the anticipation in his voice and rolls her eyes fondly. "We're going as Peter Pan and Wendy."

Ally actually rather likes this idea. "Will you, or will you not be wearing tights?" She asks.

"If I say I will, are you still agreeing to come?" He counters, she would've said yes anyway, but he doesn't need to know that.

"Yes."

"Then yes." He replies instantly.

"Great." Ally's smiling more than she should be right now, but it doesn't matter, he can't see her.

"Stop grinning." He says, but she can hear the laughter in his voice. "I know you are."

"Damn it," She giggles, "You got me."

Ally imagines Austin to be shaking his head. "Goodnight Wendy."

"Night Austin."

* * *

"Woah, you look awesome." Austin comments as Ally slides into the passenger seat of his car. She's wearing a cute blue dress with white ballet flats and a blue headband.

"I went with the animated Wendy as oppose to the action film version." Ally says buckling her seat-belt "I thought it was cuter." She admits as Austin pulls the car away from the sidewalk.

"Definitely." He says with a straight face and Ally looks outside the window, making sure Austin can't see her grin.

He sees it in the wing mirror anyway.

"Just to warn you." He says after a few minutes of comfortable silence and steady traffic. "My family get kind of crazy at Christmas. Like, crazier than normal."

"Will I get out of these festivities alive?" Ally asks seriously and Austin chuckles.

"Don't worry, I'll protect you, Wendy lady."

"No need, I fought off pirates all by myself, I'm good."

"Film version." Austin clucks disapprovingly. "I thought we were going animated here?"

"Well, since you're not wearing a top made out of leaves, I guess we are, but Wendy's much cooler in the film version, so we can incorporate both." She says peaceably and he smiles.

"We're here." Austin says as he puts the car in park and looks at Ally, properly, for the first time since she's got into the car.

"I wanted to give you your Christmas present here, because if I do it later everyone will coo and embarrass me and yeah," Austin says as he leans over to the back seat to grab her wrapped present and give it to her. "I could do without that."

"Well in that case," Ally says, and picks up his present from where it had been lying at her feet. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas, Wendy." Austin says and then swiftly rips his wrapping paper to shreds.

Ally chuckles at his eagerness and unwraps her own present. It's a charm bracelet, one she specifically told Austin she would love. Attached, it had a guitar, (cherry red like one of Austin's favourites) a baby grand piano, (black, like hers) a heart, a red dress and a personalised_ A&A _charm.

"Thank you, Austin." She said sincerely. "This is beautiful."

"You're welcome." He said cheerily as she slips it onto her small right wrist. "The instruments are obviously us." He began. "The heart is because I love our friendship, the dress because you wear such pretty clothes and the last one because we'll be together forever, I know it."

Ally tears up a little and runs a hand across his cheek fleetingly. "You're the best." She tries to ignore the fact he says he loves their_ friendship_ because it sends a painful pang to her heart. "Now look at yours!"

"Okay." He says excitedly, beaming. He opens a box to find a silver watch, expensive looking and it fits perfectly around his wrist. His eyes widen as he realises the watch's hand's are drumsticks. "Wow, Ally."

"Do you like it?" She asks tentatively.

"I love it." He smiles, glancing at her. "You always listen to what I say: I said I needed a watch and you got me one."

"Yeah, well," Ally says modestly. "There's an engraving on the back."

He flips it over.

_Austin—_

_I love you._

_—Ally._

Austin looks at her again. "Thank you, Ally. I love you too." She's not sure if he means it in the same way as she does, but she'll take what she can get at this point.

He puts it on and then gets out, walking to her side of the car to open the door for her. She smiles happily and he says, "What would Peter Pan be, if not a gentlemen?"

Ally says nothing and he intertwines his hand with hers.

She doesn't protest.

* * *

After the initial madness of meeting and greeting Austin's _entire _family —_He may lack siblings like me, but he sure has the cousins to make up for it, _Ally thinks— she realises that she has become separated from Austin.

"It's time to eat Ally." Mimi says kindly, and Ally follows her down the familiar path to the kitchen. She immediately sees Austin sitting alone at the table and he grins at her.

"I saved you a seat." He says quietly, patting the seat next to him and she almost _melts_.

* * *

"You two," Austin's Grandma says, "Are absolutely adorable, did you know that?" Ally blushes at the compliment and Austin just nods his head when hers is turned away.

"They_ are_, aren't they?" Austin's Auntie Tia comments. Austin had told them they must be on their best behaviour, but that obviously wasn't happening.

The worst thing was, he had pointedly _not_ told them that Ally _wasn't _currently his girlfriend.

"The whole Peter Pan and Wendy aspect suits you so well." Austin's Mother says whilst taking off her Minnie Mouse ears. "I mean, Austin, my little child is content acting like five year old, and Ally is obviously the more mature one here." She laughs and Ally isn't ashamed to laugh along.

Austin doesn't mind, he likes her laugh.

"Plus," Austin's other Auntie, Kelly, adds, "You have that whole hesitant romance aura around you. Like you haven't quite figured out that you're meant to be yet." She winks at Austin and smirks.

The table's topic of conversation then changes to _do you think little Darcy's angel outfit is cute?_ Darcy is Austin's youngest cousin, and Ally has to admit that she does look adorable, running around in her white dress and little white socks, her wings only attached to one arm.

"Do you think they're right?" Austin whispers right in her ear, making her jump.

She looks at him evenly. "Maybe."

* * *

Present opening takes ages, but Ally doesn't mind.

There are around thirty of them sitting in a circle, all of Austin's family that could make it here together, each taking it in turns to open a present and going around the circle.

Ally is tucked into Austin's side, his arm securely around her shoulders as her arms hug her knees to her chest. He lets her help open his presents, since she has none of her own.

Towards the end of the present giving, Darcy approaches Ally and hands her a present. Ally looks at the young child of six, surprised, and slowly unravels the paper the gift that had been half wrapped in. It sits on top of the light blue fabric of her dress.

"It's a charm from _my_ charm bracelet." Darcy says proudly, the golden curls she calls her hair bobbing as she speaks, falling prettily around her small shoulders. "It's a heart, because I saw the one on your charm bracelet and it looked lonely, so now you have another one."

For the second time that day, Ally nearly cries. "Thank you Darcy, so much." She whispers to the young girl and pulls her into a gentle hug. "That is so kind of you."

"That's okay." Darcy says with a sweet smile. "One heart is for you and one is for Austin, so neither of you are lonely."

Austin looks at Ally, who is still curled into his side and kisses the top of her head. "I could never be lonely with Ally around." He never takes his eyes off of her.

"Do you love Wendy lady?" Darcy giggles, hands behind her back innocently.

"Yeah."Austin says. Ally gasps. "Yeah I do."

When Austin kisses her forehead, Ally hugs his waist with undeniable force.

* * *

"Thanks for coming tonight, Ally. I couldn't have gotten through it without you."

They're drinking hot chocolate in her house on Christmas, and Austin is reluctant to leave Ally all alone to this empty house, so he stays.

"Yeah you could have." She says with a small smile.

They're sitting side by side —the same as the rest of the night, same as _always—_ on the island in her kitchen, mugs clasped in their hands.

"Okay, so I could have." He relents. "But I wanted you to be there."

"I was glad to be there." Ally returns. "It was a wonderful way to spend Christmas." She rests her head on his shoulder and his head automatically rests on top of hers.

"_If you cannot teach me to fly, teach me to sing_." Ally says out of the blue, shattering the silence. "That's my favourite quote from Peter Pan."

"That's pretty." Austin says and takes a sip from his mug, adjusting his head.

"What's yours?" Ally asks.

"Hm." Austin thinks, "I think it would have to be: _You know that place between sleep and awake, the place where you can still remember dreaming? That's where I'll always love you._"

Ally removes herself from Austin's embrace to search his features for something, _anything_. He notices this and smiles softly. "I've been hinting all night, Ally."

"To be fair, so have I." She returns and he nods.

Austin leans into kiss her then, mugs forgotten. Their foreheads touch gently and he takes her lips with his own, soft and slow. Her lips mould against his and he loves the small pleasure he feels.

When he pulls away, she leans her head towards his more and he kisses her again. Oh, he could so get used to this.

They break apart once more and Ally's eyes flutter open. She wonders when she closed them in the first place, but it doesn't really matter.

"I adore you." Austin says, she feels his warm breath on her face and allows herself a moment to commit this scene right here to memory.

"Do you really think we're supposed to be, even if Peter Pan and Wendy aren't really, in the end?"

"They are." Austin says tenderly, "There's just too many obstacles for them. But for us..." He pauses. "Loving you is a breeze."

Ally thinks her stomach may explode with butterflies.

"You're so amazing, Austin."

He smiles gratefully. "You're pretty amazing yourself, Wendy lady."

"Oh hush, Peter Pan." Ally says and takes off his green, pointed hat; her fingers tangling in his hair as they kiss.

* * *

**A/N:** I just thought that was really fun and cute. I really hope you liked it, because I enjoyed writing it. :)

_Please, review, it means a lot, makes me happy c:_

-—Sophie.


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